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Backing up Brady: Five possibilities for Patriots at QB in this draft

Whether you find one in free agency, in the draft or as a street free agent in late April, you always need to bring in a signal-caller, even if its just as an extra arm for camp to make sure the rest of the quarterbacks stay on a proper pitch count. Even the Patriots -- with Tom Brady under center -- have always managed to bring in one extra quarterback every spring with the understanding that even if you’re not grooming the next Brady, you always have a chance to upgrade your backup position.

(Frankly, the Patriots wouldn’t have their current starting quarterback if they didn’t subscribe to the idea that you need to get at least one new quarterback every season. A rewatching of “The Brady 6” will serve as a reminder that Brady was a sixth-round pick who wasn’t exactly a hot commodity coming out of college, and came into a situation where Drew Bledsoe was as entrenched as any starting quarterback could be in the NFL -- he signed a nine-figure contract shortly before Mo Lewis knocked him out of the starter's spot in New England.)

Despite the fact that the Patriots have one of the NFL’s marquee quarterbacks starting for them, that hasn’t stopped them from going out and getting a signal-caller every spring, whether it’s in the draft or as a free agent. Consider that since Brady took over, the Patriots have drafted six quarterbacks: Rohan Davey, Kliff Kingsbury, Matt Cassel, Kevin O’Connell, Zac Robinson and Ryan Mallett. In addition, they’ve signed undrafted free agents Brian Hoyer and Matt Gutierrez.

Regardless of what happens between now and the start of the season with Mallett (and keeping in mind that Mike Kafka is still on the roster), with that in mind, here are five quarterbacks who could hear from the Patriots -- either during the draft or shortly after that -- in April.

Tyler Bray: A bit of a wild card. Bray, who will be leaving school after his junior year, is a 6-foot-6, 232-pounder out of Tennessee who some people see as a Jay Cutler type in that he has a colossal arm who can make big throws better than any other quarterback in this class. But like Cutler, his propensity for taking risks -- namely attempting bigger throws into tight windows -- gets him into a lot of trouble. Bray had a record-breaking junior season in 2012, completing 60 percent of his passes for 3,612 yards and finishing with a remarkable 34:12 touchdown:interception ratio. He’s got crazy numbers -- 7,444 passing yards and 69 touchdown passes in three seasons at Tennessee -- but there’s definitely a sense of risk/reward when it comes to Bray and his skill set.

Where the Patriots could get him: Third round

Collin Klein: At one point during the college football season, Klein was considered a Heisman candidate, landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was a Heisman finalist, but Klein and Kansas State struggled down the stretch. Ultimately, he finished with 2,641 yards passing and 16 touchdowns, as well as an impressive 65 percent completion rate. However, he’s a multidimensional threat as the 6-foot-5, 226-pounder also had 920 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns in 2012, second in school history to his 27 rushing touchdowns in 2011. While Klein is on record as saying he wants to play quarterback in the NFL, ultimately, the thinking here is that you could draft him as a quarterback, but find something else to do with him. His body type suggests a possible tight end, or even an H-back. But an intriguing prospect nonetheless -- one NFL insider said he was a mix of Tim Tebow and Ryan Tannehill ... in a good way. That combination of skills should be enough to intrigue the Patriots.

Where the Patriots could get him: Sixth round or later

Matt McGloin: The former walk-on played under former Patriots offensive coordinator Billy O’Brien at Penn State last season, and it was clear the Nittany Lions were running an offense that could be traced back to what O’Brien had in New England. That alone should give McGloin a leg up on the transition if he gets the call from the Patriots. (The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder said he spent lots of time this past year watching tape of Brady in preparation for working with O’Brien and trying to figure out how to properly execute that brand of offense.) In his first season in O’Brien’s offense, McGloin led the Big Ten with 3,266 passing yards while completing 61 of his passes, to go along with an impressive 24:5 touchdown to interception ratio. (He also ran for five touchdowns.)

Where the Patriots could get him: Seventh round, or as a free agent

Sean Renfree: A 6-foot-3, 219-pounder out of Duke, Renfree is an intriguing prospect on a couple of levels -- he’s clearly a gifted passer with an impressive resume: He completed an astounding 65 percent of his passes as a collegian (898-for-1,389 overall), throwing for 9,465 yards (including 3,113 as a fifth-year senior) and 51 touchdown passes while playing for the Blue Devils. He’s also the benefactor of some good coaching; Blue Devils coach David Cutcliffe is the personal quarterbacking guru to Peyton and Eli Manning, and Cutcliffe is on record as saying Renfree will be the steal of the draft. (For a tremendous breakdown on Renfree and his abilities, check out this Football Outsiders story by Matt Waldman.)

Where the Patriots could get him: Fourth round or later

Jeff Tuel: The Washington State signal-caller is a 6-foot-3, 218-pounder who had a workout with the Patriots on March 22. Tuel possesses the intelligence, accuracy and overall leadership skills that New England looks for in their quarterbacks. He was the most accurate passer in WSU school history, having completed just over 61 percent of his passes, and started all four seasons in college. (The only other WSU QB to start as a freshman? Bledsoe.) While he struggled with injury as a collegian -- dislocated kneecap, broken clavicle and leg injuries all limited his time -- he finished his college career with 5,932 yards passing and 33 touchdowns.

Where the Patriots could get him: Seventh round, or as an undrafted free agent

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